An archive photograph of the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building.(Photo11: Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate)

The impressive Ringling Manor, built in 1916 by circus impresario Alfred T. Ringling in Jefferson, also served as a safe haven to 10 Polish Capuchin friars after they were freed from Nazi concentration camps.

Ringling died only three years after the manor was completed. Shortly after it became home to 18 Capuchin friars in all, including the 10 who survived the Nazi occupation, concentration camps and the Holocaust.

The personal stories of the Capuchin friars are being kept alive by the last and sole friar who still lives in the manor.

The Rev. Deacon Jerzy P. Krzyskow, known as Brother George, spent the last 24 years in the Jefferson manor nestled in the woods near Lake Swannanoa. He was administrator of the property beginning in 2005.

"I thought I'd only be here for one winter," said the 66-year-old.

He is trying to sell the mansion that is listed for $800,000 by Madison Adams Real Estate. Once the property is sold, Krzyskow said he'll most likely move to Ukraine.

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An archive photograph of the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

An archive photograph of the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

An archive photograph of the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

Near the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

Near the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

The historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

On the property of the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

The historic Ringling Manor property in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Inside the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000. The impressive mansion was constructed in 1916 by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling. It was later retrofitted as a multi-room friary when the Catholic Church purchased the building. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

Before he was assigned to Jefferson in 1994, Krzyskow served in Toronto. For the last several years he has lived alone in the mansion.

He has used his quiet time to piece together the early history of the 10 Capuchin friars who survived the Nazi concentration camps. Krzyskow said he might one day write a book about their stories.

As part of his research, Krzyskow has scoured Holocaust memoirs and visited the archives of the Dachau concentration camp outside Munich. He came across cassette tape interviews with the friars recorded by a priest in the 1970s. There are also American newspaper accounts of their stories. Friar Rev. Alexis Lechanski's story was printed in honor of his 50th Jubilee in 1984.

Krzyskow, as part of his search for the personal histories, spoke with the friars in person about each of their experience as Nazi prisoners.

The 10 friars

"Father [Henryk] Nienaltowski, for example, thought his only idea [of] concentration camp...was 'kill, kill, kill, kill,'" Krzyskow said. "If you [didn't] want to work, if they don't have use for you for something they killed you and cremated you."

After the war Nienaltowski, also known as Father Raphael, became a professor at Fordham University in New York City.

In addition to passports and concentration camp prisoner cards, Krzyskow has a piece of a prisoner uniform with a the letter "P" for "political prisoner" sewn inside of a red triangle. It was worn by one of the Capuchins, Stanley Kozlowski, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz concentration camp and four other camps in Poland and Germany during World War II in the 1940s.

Kozlowski said he may be the last of some 5,000 political prisoners sent to Auschwitz. Among the thousands of Poles sent to concentration camps during the Nazi occupation were priests, nuns, deacons, and seminarians, explained Krzyskow.

"When Hitler started the war he came to Poland first," he said. "He has [a] list to arrest all Polish intelligencia: politicians, people who do public work, teachers, priests because he expected the people who ran the country to oppose occupation."

A piece of a concentration camp prisoner uniform belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Also pictured is a document that verifies his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. The letter "P" is for "political prisoner."(Photo11: Courtesy of Mark Zagorski)

There were 62 Capuchin Franciscans living in Poland before World War II broke out in 1939, Krzyskow said. Twelve managed to get out but the others were arrested, imprisoned locally, then later transferred to different concentration camps.

Lechanski was among 23 arrested by the Nazis together with all the friars, students of theology and professors of the Capuchin Seminary in Lublin in 1940. The others were seized by the Nazis in 1941 at a Warsaw monastery.

Of the Ringling Manor 10, eight were arrested in Lublin, and two were arrested in Warsaw. Nine wound up at Dachau Concentration Camp before they were liberated in 1945. The 10th, Kozlowski, was in five concentration camps before being liberated by American forces from Sandbostel Concentration Camp.

After being freed they served in Europe before making their way to America to the monastery in New York City and/or to Broken Arrow Monastery in Oklahoma. Years later they would end up living in Ringling Manor in Jefferson and served in area churches and universities.

In the Poughkeepsie Journal account of one of his lectures, Kozlowski describes the horror of his imprisonment at the hands of the Gestapo and the terror he witnessed and experienced in the death camps.

"I was beaten so often my whole body was a red mass; like raw hamburger," he said in his lecture about being arrested by the Gestapo. "They chained our hands behind our backs and lifted us up to hang by a hook on the wall. My body was pierced with long needles by the guards while I was hanging there."

Underground railroad to rescue Jews

Before their arrest, the Capuchin Franciscans in Warsaw had been operating an underground railroad for Jews from the Warsaw ghettos. In the cellar of the monastery was an entrance hidden by vines to a secret passageway, he said.

The Rev. Deacon Jerzy P. Krzyskow, known as Brother George, inside Ringling Manor/Saint Stanislaus Friary Oct. 24, 2018. Krzyskow discussed the history of the Capuchin Franciscan friars who lived there, including 10 who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.(Photo11: Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com)

Through that door many Jews, often dressed in the friars' long brown robes, made their way to safety. Kozlowski was arrested along with 17 other friars and 19 Jews whose escape from the ghetto was interrupted by the Gestapo.

"Quickly we gave them our robes and taught them how to genuflect," Kozlowski said. "We instructed them to keep quiet and to keep the hoods up over their heads."

Their ruse was discovered by the Nazis and they were arrested.

Kozlowski described the horrors of being transported to the first concentration camp and some of what he witnessed.

"The treatment was so terrible I cannot, at this time, describe it all to you," he said. "Women were experimented on in a separate barracks and newborn babies were swung by their heels, their heads smashed against the wall, by the women guards."

The 'Holy Society'

Kozlowski organized a group of priests and formed a secret "Holy Society" to say Mass when they could, "to try to give other prisoners spiritual comfort so they could die with the peace of God in their hearts."

Kozlowski said religion gave him and the other priests and brothers the will to survive.

"Real religion is a very special weapon - one the Nazis did not know how to deal with, for it was within us," he said.

Kozlowski hid the host, the wafer that is consecrated in the Catholic church for Communion, in the hollowed-out heel of a shoe or under a patch of cloth. He became a walking church and the inmates at the camp called him The Bishop of Auschwitz, according to the accounts and lecture.

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A close-up of the photograph of Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley found in a document that verifies his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

This article in the April 4, 1971 edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal documented one of Stanley Kozlowski lectures about the horrors he experienced and witnessed while imprisoned in World War II Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany. Kozlowski was one of 10 Capuchin friars who relocated to Jefferson, N.J. and lived in the monastery at Ringling Manor after they were liberated and served in the area. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

A document photo of of Franciszek Salwowski, known as John Vyaney in America. Salwowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

A document photograph of Wladyslaw Lechanski's, whose religious order name became Alexis. Lechanski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

The Rev. Alexis Lechanski's biography for his 50th Jubilee celebration in 1984 in Perth Amboy, N.J. The write-up documents the horrors Lechanski experienced and witnessed before and during his imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. He was one of 10 Capuchin friars who relocated to Jefferson, N.J. and lived in the monastery at Ringling Manor after they were liberated and served in the area. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

An entrance to Ringling Manor/Saint Stanislaus Friary pictured Oct. 24, 2018. The historic mansion was built by circus promoter Alfred Ringling and later was the home to Capuchin Franciscan friars - some of whom survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com

An document belonging to Franciszek Salwowski, known as John Vyaney in America. Salwowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

A document that verifies imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

A piece of a concentration camp prisoner uniform belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. The letter "P" is for "political prisoner." Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

A piece of a concentration camp prisoner uniform belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Also pictured is a document that verifies his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. The letter "P" is for "political prisoner." Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

A piece of a concentration camp prisoner uniform belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Also pictured is a document that verifies his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. The letter "P" is for "political prisoner." Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

A document that verifies imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

An Austrian passport belonging to Franciszek Salwowski, known in America as John Vyaney. Salwowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. This passport was issued shortly after the war and the Nazi insignia is crossed out and Deutsches Reich is corrected to Osterreich. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

Pages from a catalog published after World War II that documents all of the Polish priests who were imprisoned in the Nazi Dachau concentration camp in Germany. Each entry contains the name of the priest, where they were arrested and the date of the arrest, and which concentration camps they were in previous to Dachau. Courtesy of Mark Zagorski

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He described being so exhausted by the forced labor and the scant meals that the thought of dying was a relief.

"But finally it came my turn to go to the gas chamber," he said. "After four years at Auschwitz, I was so happy, so relieved that at last I would be free of this living hell."

But the door was shut and guards kicked him back because the chamber was full.

"And I cried because there was no room for me in the gas chamber," Kozlowski said.

Number 22639

Lechanski was well educated and as a student taught Canon Law in the Capuchin Seminary in Lublin. In 1939 when war broke out he witnessed four months of horrors: artillery bombardments, air raids, mass imprisonment, killing, refugee plight, brutality, and the savagery of the Nazi Gestapo.

He and the others first were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp for six months. He was among 500 mostly Polish priests who were moved to Dachau concentration camp where they were detained for four and half years until the war ended.

“And I cried because there was no room for me in the gas chamber.”

Stanley Kozlowski, a Capuchin Franciscan Friar who survived the World War II Nazi holocaust

"During the 10 years of its existence, Dachau was a true factory of death and became an immense tomb of 276,000 men, women and children of almost all European nationalities," Lechanski is quoted as saying in his 50th Jubilee biography.

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Madison Adams Real Estate created this promotional video to help market the historic Ringling Manor in Jefferson which is for sale for $800,000.
Courtesy of Madison Adams Real Estate, North Jersey Record

He estimated that more than 50,000 Poles and about 785 Polish priests were among the dead.

"They told us we must forget we had been free human beings, priests, professors, lawyers or whatever else, for from now on we were only numbers without any personal rights," he continued. "I was number 22639."

Lechanski's slave labor involved constructing buildings, roads, canals and the brick kiln where 3,000 prisoners worked. The crematory was built by the priests, he said, and they worked on two Nazi farms from morning until dusk.

"People were dying from starvation and exhaustion," he said. "They were simply slipping into death while weeding a bed of medical herbs or flowers."

Prisoners in Dachau were used for medical experiments for malaria, artificial gangrene and aviation experiments. Polish priests were used exclusively for malaria experiments, Lechanski said.

He said about 400 Polish priests were among those gassed to death once they became invalids and could no longer work. In total 1,000 of 2,500 priests died in various ways, he said. There were 1,598 Polish priests represented in that number and 785 died, 24 were set free and 789 survived, he said.

"It is important to emphasize that those people detained, persecuted, and murdered in the concentration camps were not only the Jews, but representatives of all European nationalities," Lechanski was quoted as saying in the biography. "They were innocent victims of 9-10 millions of Poles, Ukranians, Bylorussians, Gypsies and others."

A document photo of of Franciszek Salwowski, known as John Vyaney in America. Salwowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II.(Photo11: Courtesy of Mark Zagorski)

Ringling Manor

The Ringling property has undergone an enormous transformation since the early days when lions and tigers and elephants were housed there. It was subdivided and pieces were sold off. Now the mansion is hidden in a forested enclave where the driveways are easy to miss.

After changing hands a few times the Province of Warsaw Capuchin order purchased Ringling Manor in 1967 from the Spes Foundation. In 1973 it officially became one of the order's American monasteries and became known as Saint Stanislaus Friary.

The friars actually lived in the house beginning in 1958 when the Polish anti-communist group known as the Spes Foundation operated secretly there. Spes consisted of Polish priests opposed to communist rule in Russian occupied Poland after World War II.

Along with Lechanski and Kozlowski there were eight other concentration camp survivors who lived in the Jefferson Ringling Manor monastery, or Saint Stanislaus Friary.

Lechanski's baptismal name was Wladyslaw and his religious order name became Alexis. He served in St. Stephen's Church in Perth Amboy and celebrated his 50th Jubilee on June 10, 1984.

Kozlowski, known as Brother Stanley, was born Zdzislaw Kozlowski. He taught at St. Lawrence Seminary in Beacon, New York. He was also a chaplain with the Diocese of Paterson for vocations and for a hospital and Boy Scouts. He lectured often about his time in concentration camps.

Henryk Dabrowski was known as Father Robert and served at Saint Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Roman Catholic Church in New York City.

Marian Dabrowski was Henryk's younger brother by two years and his religious order name was Jacek. He served at Sacred Heart R.C. Church in Manville and in Laurence Harbor.

Leon Karas, or Waclaw Karas served in Philadelphia at St. Adalbert R.C. Church, in Trenton at St. Hedwig R.C. Church, and in Passaic at Holy Rosary R.C. Church.

Henryk Nienaltowski, was known as Rasal in Polish and Raphael in English. He received a PhD from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and taught at Fordham University in New York City. He was also a chaplain for nuns and handled sacraments like confession.

Franciszek Salwowski, known as John Vyaney, was pastor of a church in Paterson and also served at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in New Brunswick.

Marian Klimowicz, or Zygmund, served in Bayonne at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, and at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Passaic, among other places.

Jan Stadnik, known as Bonazentura, stayed in Germany for many years after the war and was sent to Venezuela where he served in a University there. He went on to Broken Arrow and later to Jefferson. He died in Venezuela while on a visit there.

Antoni Drozdowski, known as Benedykt, was dedicated to the Jefferson monastery where he was the superior. He wasn't normally involved with parish work like the others. He spearheaded making the mansion a historic landmark for America, New Jersey, and Morris County. He helped maintain the mansion and was an archivist with access to the Capuchin archives in Vatican City in Italy.

Those who served in parishes and churches conducted Mass in Polish and in English. In 2002 superiors from Poland decided to wind down Saint Stanislaus Friary in Jefferson and gave the Capuchins living there different options for relocating.

A piece of a concentration camp prisoner uniform belonging to Zdzislaw Kozlowski, known in America as Brother Stanley. Also pictured is a document that verifies his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. Kozlowski was one of the Polish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who survived brutal treatment in Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany during World War II. The letter "P" is for "political prisoner."(Photo11: Courtesy of Mark Zagorski)

"Generally the beginning of 2000 was the end of everything," Krzyskow said. "The place was put up for sale."

Some joined Capuchin order provinces in New York or Oklahoma. Others joined local dioceses where they became priests. Salwowski and the younger Dabrowski brother, Jacek, returned to Poland. The older Dabrowski brother died in Broken Arrow.

Of the 10 who survived the concentration camps, eight of them died in America. Two died in the Jefferson mansion or in an area hospital, two died in Broken Arrow, and another died in Beacon at a hospice for priests, he said.

There are Capuchin plots reserved at Sacred Heart R.C. Church in Manville where seven of them were buried.

Marian Klimowicz, or Zygmund, was the last of the 10 to die and was buried in 1997, said Krzyskow, who personally knew seven of the 10 while living in Jefferson. He also served with some of the friars in Broken Arrow prior to living in New Jersey.

"These fathers who were in the concentration camps, you never heard them to talk too much about it," he said. "They never complained about it."

This article in the April 4, 1971 edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal documented one of Stanley Kozlowski lectures about the horrors he experienced and witnessed while imprisoned in World War II Nazi concentration camps in Poland and Germany. Kozlowski was one of 10 Capuchin friars who relocated to Jefferson, N.J. and lived in the monastery at Ringling Manor after they were liberated and served in the area.(Photo11: Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com)

He said Father Jacek liked to swim and was healthy enough to do it despite being experimented on in Dachau Concentration Camp and given malaria.

Krzyskow said the friars didn't all live in the house at the same time. They often stayed in the parishes where they were assigned to work. At any given time there were two or three living in the house, including one friar who served at a nearby church in Stockholm.

They would periodically all gather in the Jefferson mansion for dinner and to pray Mass together. There is a chapel located on the second floor with a set of eight small pews and stained-glass windows behind the altar. Krzyskow maintains the chapel to this day.

Krzyskow and four more of the 18 Capuchins who lived at Ringling Manor are still living, including Father Francis Mejeski, who survived a Gulag Soviet-forced labor concentration camp in Siberia.

The last friar of Ringling Manor

The Rev. Alexis Lechanski's biography for his 50th Jubilee celebration in 1984 in Perth Amboy, N.J. The write-up documents the horrors Lechanski experienced and witnessed before and during his imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. He was one of 10 Capuchin friars who relocated to Jefferson, N.J. and lived in the monastery at Ringling Manor after they were liberated and served in the area.(Photo11: Jai Agnish/Northjersey.com)

Krzyskow was born in Poland in 1952 and worked as a surveyor before joining the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1979. He studied for six years for the priesthood but was never ordained. He earned a master's degree in theology and worked in some Polish monasteries and taught religion before he was sent to Canada.

He served as a deacon in various area churches including Newark for 20 years. He continues to serve on Sundays in the Diocese of Paterson. Krzyskow also keeps the blessed chapel and the blessed sacrament in the Jefferson Friary and every three years needs to renew the religious status of the site. He is hoping the mansion can be sold so he can move on.

Krzyskow remembers when he was living in Poland reading a book published in 1978 about all of the different Capuchin monasteries. Among them were three monasteries in America, which first piqued his curiosity. They included the Ringling Manor location.

CLOSE

A look inside and outside Ringling Manor, which was built by the great circus impresario, Alfred T. Ringling in 1916 and later became a friary.
Jai Agnish, Staff Writer, @jaiagnish